The mayor of a British Columbia Interior community has confirmed that the area’s long-term care residents have been evacuated due to a fast-moving wildfire threatening the area.
Barbara Roden, mayor of Ashcroft, B.C., located about 360 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, stated on Saturday that the community is on alert for potential evacuation orders at short notice.
Roden mentioned that the tension among residents has slightly eased as the nearby Shetland Creek wildfire seemed to be moving northward on Saturday.
She noted, “In the early stages of a fire, there is, of course, a lot of stress, fear, and nervousness. However, we have observed that the fire has mostly stayed on a northward path, not heading towards Ashcroft or Cache Creek, the more densely populated areas in the region.”
Roden also highlighted that keeping Highway 1 open has been a significant relief for the community, despite the Shetland Creek fire expanding to about 150 square kilometres in size.
She said, “The fact that the highway has remained open throughout this time has been a major source of relief for people. It not only serves as a possible evacuation route but also provides a sense of normalcy with traffic flowing on the highway.”
Related Stories
Despite the situation, Roden mentioned that Interior Health has chosen to relocate 21 long-term care residents and five individuals in assisted-living facilities from Ashcroft as a precautionary measure in case the fire changes direction.
She stated, “At this point, we are in a stage of waiting to see what the fire will do.”
Roden’s remarks coincided with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District confirming that Venables Valley, just a few kilometres southwest of Ashcroft, has experienced the destruction of several structures due to the Shetland Creek fire as of Saturday.
The regional district’s emergency center reported that officials have been unable to assess the specific number of structures destroyed in the area, but initial estimates suggest that it is less than 10.
With over 300 wildfires in British Columbia, more than half of them are considered out of control, and about 70 have started within the last 24 hours.
The BC Wildfire Service identified lightning as a primary factor in the recent surge, with nearly 1,300 strikes in the province since Wednesday and 94 new ignitions.
Firefighters in the northwest region of the province reported significant lightning on Friday, resulting in 13 new fires, with three already extinguished.
The dry conditions, combined with recent heatwaves, have contributed to increased fire activity across the province.
The BC Wildfire Service warned of high to extreme fire danger in most areas due to the lack of rainfall in the southern regions.
In addition to Ashcroft, evacuation orders and alerts have been issued for Cache Creek, Spences Bridge, the Ashcroft First Nation, and several Cook’s Ferry Indian Band reserves due to the Shetland Creek fire.
Further east, two fires ignited by lightning in the Kootenay region have led to evacuation orders for 107 properties south of Silverton, B.C.
The blazes near the shores of Slocan Lake have reached a combined 6.5 square kilometers in size, prompting an alert for Silverton and the closure of Highway 6 in the area.
In northwestern B.C., the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako has issued an evacuation order for the Laidman and Williamson Lakes areas, utilizing skimmers and helicopters to combat the fires.
The BC Wildfire Service urged boaters to stay away from aircraft involved in firefighting efforts and to avoid firefighters’ work sites for safety reasons.
Heat warnings remain in effect for south and eastern B.C., with high temperatures and wildfire smoke impacting air quality in various regions.
Environment Canada advised residents to limit outdoor activities in areas affected by wildfire smoke.
With nearly 1,000 provincial firefighters on the ground, along with resources from other provinces and countries, efforts to contain the wildfires in British Columbia are ongoing.
Please rewrite this sentence.
Source link
